Hundred of fans joined us as YouTube creators Dude Perfect visited Toronto this week. Fans and children from the MLSE Foundation participated in a day of basketball challenges with the world’s largest sports channel on YouTube, participating in dribble wars and knockout challenges with basketballs, as well as capturing lots of selfies.

The energetic sports fandom in Toronto mirrors what we see online everyday. YouTube has helped sports fans feel more engaged and connected with their favourite teams, leagues and athletes. Globally, the world has spent 5.7 billion minutes - or 10,000 years - watching Dude Perfect on YouTube!

To catch up on "did you see that?!" moments, fans hop on YouTube immediately after a game’s biggest moment. For example, minutes after after Jose Bautisa’s now infamous bat flip, searches spiked on YouTube. Sports fandom today extends beyond scheduled TV broadcasts with Canadian fans turning to YouTube for deeper engagement with their favourite sports, events, and athletes with nearly two-thirds of Canadian sports fans saying that they can get a closer, more personal look at athletes or sports teams on YouTube than anywhere else.2 Case in point: take a look at Dude Perfect’s Seattle Seahawks Edition ft. Russell Wilson video to see the Super Bowl-winning quarterback like you’ve never seen him before!

Across the board, sports fandom on YouTube continues to grow. In fact, search interest on YouTube was higher for the last Summer Olympics than for the last World Cup or each of the past six Super Bowls!1

Today, watching live sports is an even richer experience because our devices are always within reach. More than half of Canadian sports fans agree that YouTube is one of the first places they go before, during or after major sports events or news.2

Thanks to Dude Perfect (and Panda!) for visiting their passionate Canadian fans in Toronto. We, along with the millions of sports fans on YouTube, can’t wait to see what you’ll pull off next!